METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On June 18, 2010, a 29 year-old contract miner with 6 years of experience was fatally injured at an underground silver mine. The victim was scaling loose ground in a stope when he was struck by falling material approximately 3� feet long by 2� feet wide by 2 feet thick.

Best Practices

Examine, sound, and test for loose ground in areas before starting to work, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.

Train all persons to scale loose material safely.

Communicate unsafe ground conditions to all affected miners.

Perform manual scaling from a location which will not expose persons to injury from falling material.

When manually scaling, use scaling bars of a length and design that will allow the removal of loose material without exposing persons to the risk of injury.

Install ground support where conditions warrant.

Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future. Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.

This is the 11th fatality reported in calendar year 2010 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2009, there were 12 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 1st Fall of Roof fatality in 2010. There were no Fall of Roof fatalities in the same period in 2009.

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.